How to eliminate age bias in the advertising industry?

Only 4% of people over the age of 60 appear in advertising campaigns, even though this is a demographic group that accounts for 25% of global spending.

According to CreativeX's analysis of more than 126,000 ads globally, only 4% of people appearing in ads are over the age of 60. Not only that, nearly two-thirds of that 4% appear in family-related contexts and less than 1% appear in business or work contexts.

In fact, the over 60 demographic accounts for about 25% of global spending power.

In 2019, The Drum once performed a study on the same topic to talk about why ageism still exists in the advertising industry.

Ms. Emma Twyning - Director of Communications and Policy at the Center for Aging Better said that some brands are currently taking the right direction on the issue of age discrimination, such as Marks & Spencer.

This contrasts with most advertising that features older people, Ms. Twyning added. Have a more vibrant and interesting life.

Besides the Marks & Spencer brand, Ms. Twyning also mentioned another name, Dove.

The next name mentioned is JD Williams, an online fashion retailer that has teamed up with agency House 337 to launch a spring-summer advertising campaign with a message that goes against harmful stereotypes.

JD Williams' advertising campaign starring older models includes interesting and humorous advertising statements, such as “No, that's not my daughter, and yes, I still look hot,” “I'm feeling more like a girlfriend than a grandmother.” or “Admit it, these things are still appropriate for your age.”

Ms. Zara Ineson - Executive Creative Director at House 337, also the person behind this campaign, said that while JD Williams is always aware of the over 60 age group, it seems that the brand still does not really have the right way to communicate with this demographic group in a creative way.

Ms. Ineson added that this brand inherently understands which target group they want to convey their message to, as well as knowing which agencies often run advertising campaigns that ignore the older demographic group.

To ensure that JD Williams could become the most suitable representative for the older audience, House 337 used social listening tools and helped the brand create a group of women of all ages, living in different areas in the UK to carry out creative communication activities.

Besides, according to Ms. Ineson, another important factor is that those who carry out or participate in the campaign must have relevant life and experience.

Therefore, for the staff at House 337 participating in the campaign, 95% are women and more than 85% are over 35 years old. Ms. Ineson shared that they always gather staff, sign contracts or work with customers based on experience, instead of simple research.

Trinny London – a makeup company that has built a successful reputation thanks to its way of conveying a positive message about aging.

According to shares with The Drum by Ms. Shira Feuer - Chief Marketing Officer at Trinny London, to ensure the positive message about aging is clearly shown on the website, as well as communication activities, the brand used models ranging in age from 18 to 83, along with a variety of skin types, skin colors and hair colors.

Because Trinny London represents positivity about aging, Ms. Feuer said partnering agencies must clearly understand the overarching values ​​the brand represents and wants to convey.

For Ms. Feuer, to convey the message comprehensively through marketing activities, the most important factor is transparency.

Conclude

While brands like JD Williams, M&S, Trinny London and Dove are among the names making great strides in conveying a positive message about ageing, they are still among the few in the industry doing so.

According to Thanh An / Brands Vietnam
* Source: The Drum